Grande Traversata delle Alpi

The Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA ) is a long-distance trail that the whole Piedmontese Western Alpine arc traverses in 1000 km and 55 days to complete, by the Valais Alps, Graian on the Cozie Alps to the Alps and Ligurian Alps. Since this part of the Alps is divided into numerous transverse valleys, the daily stages often extend over mountain passes that connect the high-lying valley communities together; other stages are high paths within a valley.

Course

It is useful to distinguish between a northern part and a southern part, as the boundary of the deeply cut Susa Valley is accepted. The GTA can be walked in either direction; in accordance with the German leaders, they will be described below from north to south:

The entry into the northern part is problematic. The original plan to let the GTA beginning on Lago Maggiore, has never been implemented for lack of suitable accommodation. An attractive for arriving from Switzerland Walker variant starts at the Gries Pass; Another entry begins in Saas Almagell and hits the GTA stages only in Alagna. The official start is at Molini di Calasca in Valle Anzasca; suitable Forno is Valstrona. The trail on the north side of the Valsesia Alagna on Monte Rosa. The west subsequent Aosta Valley was spared; the road bends to the south, touching the pilgrimage Oropa and achieved breakthrough in Quincinetto on the Dora Baltea with 295 m the deepest point of the entire GTA. The path then leads into six stages to the west, at the Gran Paradiso passing up near the French border, which he followed from there to the south. After crossing of three valleys, all of which drain at Lanzo Torinese in the lowlands, can be reached after a total of 26 stages Susa.

In the southern part of the GTA divides repeatedly in different variations. A pre-Alpine, starting at the beginning of June Walkin variant ( " eastern route " ) has been abandoned in the area between Susa and Varaitatal: there is not anywhere accommodations, markings are found only sporadically, and ways to grow. In contrast, the more western main line is continuously passable; infrastructure tends to be better than in the northern part. From Susa Valley from the GTA runs to the south. They crossed the valleys Chisone Germanasca and Pellice. Then you have to bypass the Monviso, either west by the French Queyras, or east via two huts of the Italian Alpine Club. Both variants come together in the Valle Varaita. The GTA crosses then the valleys of Maira and Grana, Stura di Demonte, gesso, Vermenagna before he performs in the Ligurian Alps and there in Viozene (municipality Ormea ) near the border with Liguria ends ( transitions to France in the Mercantour National Park are of the Stura -, gesso, and Val Vermenagna possible).

The GTA is free of snow usually from the end of June. Under this assumption, it is a mountain trail without technical difficulties. Challenging is partly the orientation in a lonely area at irregular marking and not always clearly recognizable Route. The physical difficulty arises from the plant as a pass hike of transverse valley to transverse valley; typical height differences are 600 to 1200 m ascent and descent per day. Especially in the northern part of some stages are very long.

Infrastructure

The route can be followed by Forno to Viozene without a tent. At all stages of accommodation opportunities are established ( " posto tappa ", marked with red-white- red GTA mark). With few exceptions there half board is offered. The majority of Posti Tappa is located in high altitude valley villages, where it usually is also a shopping opportunity. Part of the accommodation is rather spartan ( dormitory with bunk beds, for example, in an old school house or in a Almgebäude ), a part but also with old furniture in homes. A few stages end in mountain huts. In place of pilgrimage Oropa a pilgrim accommodation is utilized.

The GTA is over their entire length part of the Sentiero Italia. The path is uniformly marked in red-white- red, sometimes with black lettering " gta ", sometimes also "SI". In larger towns in entering the path is often hard to find, and few locals know where the GTA. Heading is the mark of very different quality; often it changes on a mountain pass.

Apart from the GTA and its French counterpart, the Grande Traversée des Alpes, the western Alpine arc is traversed by the red and blue route of the Via Alpina. The Via Alpina runs tend to be in alpinerer altitude and is based more on mountain huts as the GTA; several stage runs but together. Thanks to EU funding there are summary tables in the stage destinations.

The 50,000 maps of Turin Geographic Institute Centrale (IGC ) are notoriously unreliable. It is strongly cautioned not to rely on ways registrations away from the GTA: these entries are no longer tracked for decades; many paths are overgrown, some swept away by landslides. In the 1990s, some cross-border 50,000 cards in the usual high quality of the French Institute have been made ​​nationally Geographical location with EU support in a French-Italian joint project; but they are out of print. You can occasionally purchase tickets local publishers in standards 40000-25000 and in very different qualities in resort.

In German there is a newly launched regularly hiking by Werner Bätzing; additional information and corrections are provided on two sites (see below). An Italian leader in book form is only published for the southern part, but out of print since the 1990s.

Landscape and culture

The GTA is in the sense of ecological altitudinal no alpine, montane and subalpine mainly but a way. It runs predominantly through previously intensively cultivated, densely populated cultural landscape.

The traditional mountain farming has largely collapsed during the 20th century. The countries concerned in the GTA valleys have suffered a decline in population of often 80% from 1870 to 2000; upper valley communities even from 90 to 95%. Some hamlets, which formerly lived a hundred people are completely abandoned, still live in the other one or two old people. In part, reverse descendants in the summer months back and depend on the inherited property as a second home here, for the most part dilapidated houses unused.

Since the breakdown of traditional structures is done much later than in neighboring France, one has on the GTA still rich opportunity to observe relics of the old economy. Often the GTA runs on old ways, the sooner the individual hamlet of a community joined together. Particularly impressive ( and comfortable to use ) are the fortified " Mulattieras " ( mule paths) in the chestnut forests of the colline level stage. This stage was densely populated until the early 20th century, a chestnut disease destroyed the previous nutritional foundation abruptly. At higher altitudes, you can always discover boundary walls of old agricultural terraces, as in every community, self-catering and wheat was grown. Is living in some areas, particularly in the northern part of, nor the Serviced.

The Alpine valleys were culturally independent and had numerous connections within easy walking pass away closer contact with neighboring areas in France and in Switzerland than in the Po Valley. Until the 20th century the main Alpine ridge formed no linguistic border. The Valsesia is old settlement area of the Walser. In the Lanzo Valleys was spoken in the Aosta Valley as Franco-Provençal ( " Arpitan "). In the lower Susa Valley was spoken as in the lowlands Piedmontese. South of the Susa Valley was closed Occitan language area. Only in the trenches of World War I learned a significant part of the population Italian. In the second half of the 20th century, the decline of regional languages ​​was unstoppable; but in some remote valleys also live at the beginning of the 21st century still families who at home speak Occitan.

Another cultural peculiarity was the community of vorreformatorisch Evangelical Waldensian, the interrupted in the Waldensian valleys Chisone Germanasca and Pellice of cruel persecutions, had a tolerated retreat.

History of GTA

The idea for the GTA comes from France, where it was established in 1970, coinciding with the invention of European long-distance hiking trails, a Grande Traversée des Alpes. From the mid- 1970s a group of Turin mountain enthusiasts around the Rivista della Montagna della montagna libreria and the concept of a long-distance path along the Piedmontese Alps arc began to develop. The honorary Comitato promoter constituted itself later as a club, the Associazione GTA. It set out a route, organized accommodation facilities, dedicated part-time hosts, operating on public funds to furnish the accommodation, marked the way, and always new stages described in journal articles; 1981-89 published hiking guide in book form. 1982 was offered for the first time an organized trekking, and until the mid- 1980s, intensive press and public relations work was operated.

As a result of these efforts, the GTA experienced a boom in 1979 with up to 300 nights per season and stage. After a few years, however, and some ' posti tappa ' the interest of Italian hikers flagged on the eastern route in the south were closed. Also the commitment of the initiators subsided greatly; for a great volunteer construction performance is not managed to give the GTA a viable and sustainable organization and raise funds from the tourism and mountain area promotion to finance a secretariat. During the 1990s, the activities of the Associazione slept a large extent.

Since 1985, the GTA is propagated in the German-speaking area of Werner Bätzing as an example of ecologically sustainable tourism; In 1989 he brought out a guide, who has since been regularly updated. Through journal articles and photo books made ​​next Bätzing also some more travel journalists and hiking guide effective public relations for the GTA. In fact, the number of trekkers from the German-speaking countries took from the mid 1980s to be strong and offset the decline of Italian hikers from approximately.

Today ( 2000s ) is committed predominantly by hikers from the German-speaking world the GTA. The walkers are on average a good week on the GTA go; there are many repeaters. The number of overnight stays in the individual stages can not be determined, but should typically per season are (from which one can infer that each season to the 1000 long-distance travelers on the GTA to come) on the order of 100 to 200. It is clear that any decrease in the number of overnight stays would jeopardize the continued existence of individual hikers' hostels and therefore attractiveness of the GTA as a whole.

Stages ( in North-South direction)

In the Pennine ( Valais ) Alps, from Valle Anzasca the Dora Baltea

• From Molini di Calasca (480 m) in the Valle Anzasca to Alpe del Lago ( 1545 m)
• About the Colle dell'Usciolo ( 2037 m) to Campello Monti ( 1305 m) in the Valstrona
• About the Bocchetta di Campello (1924 m) to Rimella ( 1176 m)
• After Santa Maria di Fobello ( 1094 m)
• About the Colle d' Egua ( 2239 m) to Carcoforo (1304 m)
• About the Colle del Termo ( 2351 m) by Rima ( 1441 m)
• About Colle Mud ( 2324 m), Alpe Valmontasca and Alagna after Sant'Antonio di Val Vogna
• About Passo del Maccagno ( 2495 m), Colle Lazoney ( 2395 m), Col Mologna Grande ( 2364 m) to the Rifugio Rivetti ( 2201 m)
• After San Giovanni d' Andorno (1020 m)
• About the Colle della Colma after Oropa (1180 m)
• For Rifugio Coda ( 2189 m)
• About the Colle della Lace ( 2121 m) to Maletto ( 1336 m)
• After Quincinetto (295 m, the deepest point of the GTA, train station)

In the Graian, from the Dora Baltea valley of Susa

• After Scalaro / Le Capanne (1400 m)
• About the Colle di Lavarossa (2100 m) to Succinto ( 1164 m) in the Val Chiusella
• About the Bocchetta delle Oche ( 2415 m) to Piamprato ( 1551 m)
• After Ronco Canavese ( 948 m) in the Val Soana
• About the Colle Crest (2040 m) to Talosio ( 1225 m ) in the Valle Ribordone
• About the Monte Arzola ( 2158 m) and the Alpe di Colla ( 2171 m ) to San Lorenzo di Piantonetto ( 1045 m)
• About Bertodasco ( 1175 m ), Perebella ( 1339 m), S. Anna ( 1481 m), Coste ( 1193 m) and Fe (900 m) to Noasca ( 1058 m)
• After Ceresole Reale (1501 m) in the Valle dell'Orco
• About the Colle della Crocetta ( 2641 m) to Pialpetta (1069 m) in the Val Grande
• About the Colle di Trione ( 2486 m) by Balme ( 1432 m) in the Val d' Ala
• About the Passo Ghicet / Paschiet ( 2435 m) to Usseglio ( 1265 m ) in the Valle di Viù
• About the Colle Croce di Ferro ( 2558 m) to Truc ( il Trucco, 1706 m)
• Descent to Susa (600 m)

In the Cozie Alps, the Val Susa into the Valle Stura

• From Susa after Salbertrand ( 1,032 m )
• About the testa dell'Assietta ( 2567 m ) to Usseaux ( 1416 m) in the Chisone; Variant Meana di Susa ( 595 m) - Alpeggio di Toglie ( 1534m ) - Colle dell'Orsiera ( 2595 m) - Usseaux (1439 m)
• About the Colle dell'Albergian ( 2713 m) to Balsiglia ( 1370 m, Posto Tappa retired? )
• About Didiero ( 1245 m, new Posto Tappa ) and Colle Serre Vecchio (1707 m) to Rodoretto ( 1432 m)
• About Costa di Galmont (1651 m) by Ghigo di Prali ( 1455 m, short stage in the Valle Germanasca )
• About the Colle Giulian ( 2457 m) to Villanova ( 1225 m ) in the Val Pellice; Unfortunately, the old road between Colle Giulian and Villanova was partially destroyed during the construction of a new road
• Over the Col del Rifugio Barbara Lowrie to Baracun (1753 m)
• About the Colle della Gianna ( 2525 m) to the Pian Melzè (1750 m)
• About Pian del Re ( 2020 m ) to the Rifugio Quintino Sella ( Monviso ) ( 2640 m)
• About the Passo di San Chiaffredo ( 2764 m) and Castello (1608 m) to Pontechianale ( 1614 m); Western variant Pian del Re - Col de la Traversette - Refuge du Viso - Passo di Vallanta - Rifugio Vallanta - Passo Losetta - Chianale - Colle del Rastel - Pontechianale
• About the Colletto della Battagliola ( 2282 m) to Chiesa di Bellino (1480 m); Diversion of a variant
• About the Colle della Bicocca ( ​​2285 m) to Elva (1637 m)
• About Colle San Giovanni (1872 m), Colle Bettone (1831 m) and San Martino ( 1380 m) to Palent (1480 m)
• Celle di Macra After (1270 m)
• About the Monte Bastia ( 2134 m) and the Passo delle Crosette ( 2180 m) to the Santuario di San Magno (1761 m)
• About the Colle Fauniera ( 2480m ) and Colle Valcavera ( 2416 m) to Sambuco ( 1184 m)

In the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Alps, from the Valle Stura Val Tanaro

• From Sambuco about Caserma del Vaccia and Besmorello by Bagni di Vinadio; End of the branching in Chiesa di Bellino variant
• About the Passo di Sant'Anna di Vinadio Bravaria
• About the Colle della Lombarda and the Rifugio la Grange to Rifugio Questa; Variant Sant'Anna di Vinadio - Passo d' Orgials - Rifugio Malinvern - Rifugio Questa
• About Pian del Valasco to Terme di Valdieri (1368 m)
• About the Rifugio Morelli - Buzzi ( 2351 m) and the Colle del Chiapous ( 2526 m) to the Rifugio Genova- Figari (2020 m)
• About the Colle delle Fenestrelle ( 2463 m) to the Rifugio Soria Ellena (1840 m)
• About San Giacomo di Entracque ( 1213 m) and Caire della Trinità di Truccia after Entracque ( 1096m )
• About the Colle della Garbella ( 2170m ) to Palanfrè ( 1379 m)
• About the Passo di Ciotto Mieu ( 2274 m) to Limonetto ( 1294 m)
• About Colle di Tenda (1871 m), Colla Piana ( 2219 m) ​​and Passo del Duca (1989 m) to the Rifugio Garelli (1965 m)
• About Porta Sestrera ( Passo di Lapasse ) to Rifugio Havis De Giorgio (1761 m)
• About the Passo delle Saline ( 2174 m) and the Rifugio Mongioie (1520 m) to Viozene ( 1245 m)

Footnotes and evidence